Monthly Archives: December 2005

On December 26th, I attended this high school reunion. It’s not quite the same experience that others have – cause we from the Danish minority’s high school have it every year. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun. I personally have attended it every single year for the past five years, and every year, we’re a bunch that have been monitoring for dacaying factors to start set in. Didn’t happen. Not this year either – although there was one girl who tried to convince me that she had wrinkles – when she laughs.

Other than that, there was a notciable lack of “Super Danes” – that is people that have turned so Danish – either already in school or later on – and that try to hide away the fact that they have any knowledge of Germany and German. I really have a hard time taking those people.

back in high school?

On the other hand there are also those that think they somehow are fundamentally german. Like one guy who knows me well and thought I had switched to Norwegian citizenship already asked: “so do you then have to give up your German one?” J: “I’d think so. So I’m wondering: do you get anything out of ayour German citizenship?” He: “Nooooo…. well, except your identity.” And then we both laughed. See, I don’t agree with that perspective either – but I find it much easier to hang around people with those kinds of views than the Super Danes.

Well, it sure has been a while seen I’ve been writing here. The thing is that I have spend quite a lot of time reviewing my book (“On the Margins” – see here) and getting it ready for global distribution. And before that I prepared for way too many examinations…

Christmas with some of the Wilms

For christmas I went down south – first by bus to my grandmother in Copenhagen, Denmark where my mother and the youngest brother had been for a few days already, and then another few days later on to the German/Danish border land.

a present for me

Lately, I have had a discussion with one of my co-students in Oslo on the matter of nationalism/racism. If I get him right, he claims something to the extent of that there is somehow a problem with immigrants not having the same “culture” inside themselfs that Norwegians have and that it somehow leads to a problem of increased lisening to macho-music and the rol back of women’s rights. To me all that sounds like a bunch of hidden racism, and our discussions got quite heated. Most of all though, I was surprised by his reaction – of me identifying with other immigrant groups, although… well, basically although I’m white and from another West European country (or several).

Well, I thought of this, and I rediscovered much of my starting point down here in Schleswig/Slesvig (the border land). On December 20, the Danish newspaper for Schleswig-Holstein ran a one-page story on how my family celebrates christmas (below in English):

Now one should certainly be critical of nuclear proliferation of any kind, but does that mean that one can’t receive the Nobelpeace prize? I have decided for myself that I can support El Baradei personally, for the work connected to trying to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, but I strongly disagree with the IAEA and its work on the spread of atomic energy – and the pure existence of nuclear power plants also makes it a lot easier to built those nuclear weapons.
(read also this letter in Aftenposten that I signed)
Another issue we’re involved in is the Norwegian Oil Corporation (DNO), as they are now the first foreign oil company to actually drill in the region. Our first action on the matter was small, but we got some media attention anyways. I think it is important especially for the foreign media to see that also Norwegians protest this stuff. besides, it is one fo the few cases where we’re actualyl resposnible for protesting against the “Norwegian capital” when they’re trying to exploit foreign people and regions – and that is probably the most important point in making sure one is on the right side in the international class struggle, if you wanna get all Marxist about it…

Impressum

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